9:01 pm - Weds 5.25.2011
Audition Spring

It's snuck up on me, but May is turning out to be a good month for auditions.

Tomorrow's audition (For a new Disney show called A.N.T. Farm) is #6 for the month, making this my second-best month for auditions so far this year (March is the current front-runner with nine).

Today's audition - for a Hardees commercial - was really fun, which was a nice change-of-pace from my last two auditions, which had more of a frustrating, "Why am I here?" feel to them. They were funny spots (There were two spots, but I don't know if they're looking to cast different actors for each spot, or one actor for both), and I got to/chose to do them with a little Southern dialect - don't know if the producers will dig it, but I had a good time (The Camera guy seemed to approve as well).

The audition was on Santa Monica Blvd, in the "Theater District".

I'd parked about four blocks away (Free parking - WooHoo!), and on the way back to my car, I passed a theater that had a hand-written sign on the door - They were having auditions for something called The Cushion-Massager.

Had no idea what a play called The Cushion-Massager would be about - Maybe a comedy about a slacker guy who does nothing but hang out in his apartment all day, "massaging" his couch cushions? Which would be pretty perfect for me - but I had time on my hands, and I've been thinking about getting back into theater for awhile now.

So after a moment's trepidation, I decided to go in and check it out (Why not? I had my headshot, after all, since they hadn't needed it at the Hardees auditions).

So I went in - the audition was taking place on the second floor - and explained myself to the woman who seemed to be running things ("I'm an actor, just coming back from an audition, saw the sign", etc.), and she called the director over.

I repeated my spiel to him, ending with "...so if you have anything I might be right for...?", or words to that effect, and he gave me the sides.

I'd assumed, going in, that the auditions were for a play, partly because of the sign, but mostly because they were happening at a theater. But turns out, as I started to realize when I read the sides, they were actually auditioning for an infomercial (For "The Cushion-Massager", of course).

I was a little disappointed...but not that disappointed (An infomercial would pay, after all). But as the director went back into the room, to give me a moment to look over the sides, it occurred to me to ask, "Is this union or non-union?".

It was "non".

So, since I haven't yet crossed over to "the dark side" (i.e. doing non-union work even though I'm in the union - Two unions, actually), I thanked them for being willing to give me a try, and went on my way.

What I did is known, in the business, as "crashing an audition", and is generally considered "bad form" (Actors do it, of course, though I never have). I didn't realize I was doing it, because of the aforementioned "thinking it was a little hole-in-the-wall theater audition for a play where they'd probably just put a notice in Backstage, or maybe Craigslist, and hoped people would show up".

Anyway, I was really happy I did it, even though nothing came of it; I liked that I acted on my "What could it hurt?" impulse, and had enough confidence in my acting/cold-reading skills to think I could just come in off the street, take a look at the script, and knock their socks off.

But speaking of "acting" and "knocking their socks off", I should probably consider working on tomorrow's thing (Which, as my little co-star bits go, is comparatively substantial); it's not for "the big money", but it'll do till the next "big money" opportunity comes up.

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